Telangana gears up to inoculate 80 lakh people in first phase once COVID-19 vaccine ready

Hyderabad: Telangana is in the process of creating the required infrastructure for administering COVID- 19 vaccine initially to about 80 lakh people, including front-line warriors,once the preventive medicine is available for the state, official sources said on Wednesday. Training programmes for almost 10,000 vaccinators were underway and storage facilities for the doses being set up at strategic locations.

“Even if one vaccinator administers 100 people a day, on an average 10,000 vaccinators can vaccinate 80 lakh people in eight or ten days, a Health department official told. The official further said as of now there was no approved vaccine for COVID-19 in the country and preparations were being made to be ready for administering it as and when available.

Vaccination will be done at all government health facilities such as primary health centres, district hospitals and teaching facilities. When contacted, state Principal Health, Medical and Family Welfare Secretary Syed Ali Murtuza Rizvi said they were following the Centres guidelines for the vaccination programme.

A release from Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Raos office had earlier said the vaccine should be given first to the COVID-19 warriors and front-line workers like police and others, people aged above 60 and those suffering from acute health issues.